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NHTSA closes book on Ford, GM probes of 600,000 vehicles

US safety regulators have closed a pair of investigations into some 500,000 Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Marauder sedans built between 2004 to 2007, and 100,000 Chevrolet Impala models from 2014. The Ford investigation focused on rusting heat shields, which may become dislodged and jam the steering, according to Reuters. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that this happened very rarely. In fact, of the ten incidents filed with the government safety watchdog, six came from a single police department, which evidently had some sort of problem with its reporting. As for the Impala, the NHTSA investigators attributed two incidences of "unintended autonomous braking" to user error. In both cases, the vehicles were involved in rear-end collisions. According to GM investigators, it's believed that drivers accidentally activated the electric parking brake, causing the collisions. The vehicles in question were rental cars. Featured Gallery Ford Crown Victoria Related Gallery 2014 Chevrolet Impala View 10 Photos News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Ford, Chevrolet Government/Legal Chevrolet Ford Safety Sedan ford crown victoria mercury grand marquis

Hertz Penske GT latest hot Ford Mustang at the rental counter

Just a couple days after announcing the resurrection of its Rent-A-Racer program, Hertz has revealed a new car being added to its Adrenalin Collection of rental cars. To signify its new partnership with Penske Racing in NASCAR, Hertz introduced a limited-edition version of the Ford Mustang GT, officially called the Hertz Penske GT, at last weekend's NASCAR races in Daytona. If you're like us, the rental specials remind with the original 1966 Shelby GT350-H and its later homage, the 2006 Shelby GT-H.
Visually, the Hertz Penske GT starts out with a black and yellow paint and graphics scheme as well as identifying badges, and Hertz has raided the Mustang parts bin for bits and bobs like a Boss 302 front splitter and Shelby GT500 rear valence to give the coupe its own unique look. The model has also receives performance improvements including upgraded suspension and exhaust, Brembo brakes, a retuned ECU and Recaro bucket seats. As a bonus, Penske Racing's Nationwide Series No. 22 Ford Mustang has been painted to match the new Hertz Penske GT. Other cars in the Hertz Adrenaline Collection include the standard version of the Ford Mustang GT, Chevrolet Camaro SS, Chevrolet Corvette convertible and Dodge Challenger R/T. Scroll down for the official press release for the Hertz Penske GT, or you can always head to your local Hertz airport location to see if they have one on the lot.

Marchionne open to combination with Ford or GM

At the depths of the auto industry implosion, there was widely reported talk that General Motors and Chrysler would be merged into a mighty import-beating behemoth. While such notions clearly never materialized, that doesn't mean the idea is dead. In fact, FCA boss Sergio Marchionne still welcomes the idea of a partnership with either GM or Ford. He responded positively to the idea, calling it "technically feasible," when asked about it at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Automotive News reports. "There's bantering that goes on all the time," Marchionne told AN, before quashing suspicions that a plan was in the works by adding that "nothing substantive" was going on. Our favorite black sweater enthusiast isn't quite as interested in the idea of teaming with a foreign manufacturer like PSA Peugeot Citroen, or in the rumored tie-up with Volkswagen, though. That is a shame, particularly in regards to Marchionne's shut down of a partnership with the French, although it isn't necessarily surprising – FCA already consists of eight automakers, and as Sergio told AN, there's really nothing at PSA that could help the company out. What are your thoughts? Is there an obvious project or segment that would benefit from an FCA partnership with Ford or GM? Have your say in Comments. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Marco Bertorello / AFP / Getty Images Chrysler Fiat Ford GM Sergio Marchionne FCA merger